Chapter 65: A Title for the Future

After the initial joy faded, Luo Wushuang’s gaze drifted to the jade pendant her sister had casually set aside. The doubt she had been suppressing finally bubbled over, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Sister, do you not like it?”

Shangguan Liqian followed her gaze. The black jade was of a rich, pure hue, and the carved phoenix was so lifelike it seemed ready to take flight. Even to the touch, the texture was exquisite.

It was clearly a rare treasure, far superior to the black jade she had seen that other day.

Wushuang had obviously put a great deal of thought into this gift. The problem was, how could she tell Wushuang that her desire for the jade that day had merely been an excuse?

Seeing that she hadn’t received a response, Luo Wushuang spoke up again, her confusion deepening. “Or was there something special about the black jade from the horse race?”

Looking at Luo Wushuang, who seemed determined to get to the bottom of the matter, Shangguan Liqian smiled. She saw no reason to hide the truth. “I simply had a sudden urge to see you ride that day.”

The knot of doubt in Luo Wushuang’s heart unraveled. Her expression softened instantly. “Does Sister still wish to see it now?”

Shangguan Liqian shook her head. “I’ve just finished my medicine. I don’t feel like going out at the moment.”

The reminder that Liqian had been forced to endure days of bitter decoctions because of her made Luo Wushuang’s guilt resurface. “It is my fault. I have made you suffer.”

Thin-skinned as ever, Shangguan Liqian didn’t want to discuss such things so openly. She turned her gaze toward the window, refusing to continue the topic.

Seeing this, Luo Wushuang tactfully shifted the conversation. “The day after tomorrow, the envoys from the various kingdoms will enter the palace for an audience. There will be a banquet that evening. Will Sister attend with me?”

Swatting away the hand that Wushuang had reflexively reached toward her chest, Shangguan Liqian shook her head. “I’m not going.”

Luo Wushuang, who had her own little schemes in mind, asked reflexively, “Why? Do you not like such events, or…” Is it that you don’t want to appear at my side?

Glancing at Luo Wushuang, whose thoughts were clearly spiraling into wild territory, Shangguan Liqian said helplessly, “In what capacity would I attend such a banquet?”

“As my Empress Consort!” Luo Wushuang blurted out.

The moment she realized she had spoken her private thoughts aloud, a flash of panic crossed her face. She carefully looked up, trying to gauge Shangguan Liqian’s reaction.

Shangguan Liqian was smiling faintly. Her eyes held doting affection and indulgence, but there was no sign of resistance or disgust.

In an instant, Wushuang’s anxiety vanished, and her voice grew increasingly confident. “Sister and I spend every moment together here in Phoenix Hall. Naturally, I must take responsibility!”

Knowing full well how nervous Luo Wushuang actually was, Shangguan Liqian couldn’t resist teasing her. “Oh? So it is merely out of responsibility?”

“No! That’s not it!” Luo Wushuang waved her hands frantically, terrified that her sister might misunderstand and think she only wanted to marry her out of a sense of duty.

Under Shangguan Liqian’s steady gaze, Luo Wushuang’s heart began to race. A fine layer of sweat even broke out on her forehead.

Nevertheless, she summoned her courage and spoke. “My heart belongs to you, Sister. I truly wish to wed you and make you my Empress Consort.”

After speaking, Luo Wushuang locked her gaze onto Shangguan Liqian’s face, desperate to see her reaction.

Witnessing the undeniable sincerity and earnestness in those phoenix eyes, Shangguan Liqian’s heart stirred. She asked softly, “Then why didn’t you say so before?”

Luo Wushuang’s throat felt dry. She licked her lips and answered with difficulty, “I… I didn’t dare.”

“And why do you dare now?” Shangguan Liqian asked with a radiant smile, pressing her for an answer.

Luo Wushuang took a deep breath to suppress her rising nerves. “It feels like… Sister doesn’t dislike me as much as before,” she whispered.

As the voice beside her grew quieter and more hesitant, Shangguan Liqian’s heart softened, and her gaze turned tender.

“Did I not say it already? I like you too.”

The beauty’s soft murmur was like a ray of sunlight piercing through the clouds, illuminating the shadows in Wushuang’s heart.

Luo Wushuang’s eyes lit up instantly. “Then Sister has agreed to be my Empress Consort?” she asked, her face full of joy.

Shangguan Liqian shook her head, adopting a “cruel” expression. “I have not.”

The smile on Luo Wushuang’s face froze. Only after sensing that her sister wasn’t actually angry did she find the courage to press further. “Why not? Sister has already had her way with me—when will you finally give me a proper title?”

Looking at the aggrieved Luo Wushuang, Shangguan Liqian was speechless.

Have you no shame? Who was the one who had their way with whom?

Who is the one drinking medicine every day now? Who was the one begging for mercy every night?

This girl is simply… simply too much!

Despite the accusation in her sister’s eyes, Luo Wushuang didn’t feel there was anything wrong with what she had said. She continued enthusiastically, “Did Sister not enjoy herself?”

Shangguan Liqian: “…”

She had enjoyed herself. She couldn’t refute that.

Seeing Shangguan Liqian struck dumb, Luo Wushuang grew even more emboldened. “It seems Sister doesn’t even want to take responsibility…”

Meeting a gaze that was even more sorrowful than before, Shangguan Liqian rubbed her forehead and let out a light laugh. “It’s not that I don’t want to. I just feel the timing isn’t right.”

Hearing this, Luo Wushuang immediately protested. “I am the one getting married; how could the timing be wrong? As long as Sister agrees, I will issue the decree today and we can wed tomorrow.”

Seeing her treat the matter so simply, Shangguan Liqian couldn’t help but argue. “Never mind the pre-wedding preparations, even the—”

Before she could finish, Luo Wushuang cut her off.

“I ordered the wedding preparations the very day I brought you into the palace. From the necessary items to the ceremonial officials, I selected everything personally. It has long been ready.”

Shangguan Liqian froze. As her mind processed this information, tears instantly filled her eyes.

So, from the very day she had been brought to the palace, Wushuang had been ready to marry her.

Yet in their past life, until the moment of her death, Wushuang had never received her consent.

When Wushuang had carried her corpse into the Imperial Tomb, her heart must have been filled with such profound regret.

Regret that she had prepared everything, yet never heard her say yes.

The more she thought about it, the more Shangguan Liqian’s heart ached.

Luo Wushuang, who had been fighting so hard for her “status,” panicked the moment she saw Shangguan Liqian cry. “Sister, don’t cry!”

“If you think it’s too early, I can wait. I can wait as long as it takes.” Swallowing her own disappointment, Luo Wushuang forced a smile.

Seeing Luo Wushuang putting on a brave face, Shangguan Liqian’s tears fell even faster.

How could she explain that she was crying out of heartache for the Wushuang of their past life?

Mistakenly believing that her sister was crying because she was being pressured into a marriage she didn’t want, Luo Wushuang’s forced smile finally crumbled.

“If Sister does not wish to marry… staying like this… is also fine.”

Luo Wushuang lowered her head to hide the pain in her eyes. Her voice grew lower and lower until it was barely a whisper.

Through her blurred vision, Shangguan Liqian could see the raw vulnerability and humility in Luo Wushuang’s gaze.